


Practice Makes Perfect

by FaygoMayhem



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Chill XV, First Time, M/M, Overly Romantic Gladio, SO MUCH FLUFF, brotherhood era, excessive consent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-01
Updated: 2017-11-01
Packaged: 2019-01-27 21:05:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12590504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaygoMayhem/pseuds/FaygoMayhem
Summary: All Gladio wants is to make his first time with Ignis perfect and special, like in his favorite novels. However, life is not a romance novel and love is never perfect.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is what the new trailer for Episode Ignis spawned. I've been writing for almost thirty hours straight, and I have regrets. Hopefully someone will smile from my pain. ^^'

 

It wasn’t an uncommon thing for people to take one look at Gladiolus Amicitia and automatically assume he was some sort of sex god. Not that he blamed any of them, he’d spent the better part of his entire life cultivating the perfect body to ensure maximum efficiency in his sworn duty.

 If that happened to come with the side effect of being able to throw a stick into a crowd of random people and hit someone who’d probably be willing to have sex with him, he certainly wasn’t going to complain. Women and men alike were often known to throw themselves at him wherever he went, and with his casual flirtatious charm he didn’t exactly discourage it.

At the ripe age of eighteen, rumors of his sexual exploits were passed wildly around the Citadel by other young men who looked to him as a sort of idol and were constantly bothering him for stories of his conquests. The problem was, some of the rumors….. weren’t exactly true.

Actually, none of them were.

He’d go to an early grave before admitting it out loud to almost anyone, but the truth was, Gladio still had his V-card firmly tucked into his back pocket. It wasn’t as if he’d started out intentionally trying to mislead anyone; people mostly made their own assumptions. He’d just done absolutely nothing to correct them, and was even guilty of embellishing a few of the stories.

What could he say, he was a teenager with a healthy sex drive who read a lot of romance novels and watched a lot of porn; and it felt good to have people looking up to him, even if the reasoning was imaginary. He never made up anything involving real people, so it wasn’t like anybody got hurt, and the rumors had the added benefit of keeping his actual personal life private.

See, the reason Gladio _wasn’t_ out sticking his dick inside any willing hole with a heartbeat was that he was actually in a very serious and committed relationship, and had been for going on a year now. His best friend and advisor-in-training for the Crown Prince of Lucis had stolen his heart when he was just fifteen, and it had taken a couple years’ worth of miserable pining for him to finally confess his feelings. Now that he had him, he had absolutely no intention of letting go; even if it meant waiting for sex until Ignis decided he was ready.

The often overly guarded young man kept his heart very close to his chest and insisted that he have complete trust in the other person before he would be willing to share that part of himself. Gladio, luckily, was a very patient man. He’d already endured the weeks it took to convince Ignis to come out for coffee with him as more than just a friend, and the weeks after it had taken for them to share their first kiss. He would wait as long as Ignis needed, because there was no doubt in his mind that he was worth it.

Not to say that it was, in any way, an easy thing to do.

Ignis was an extremely attractive man. His battle-butler style, runway worthy features, and smooth attitude of general competence often had people turning heads in his direction. Being the only person allowed to touch him, even in his limited capacity, left Gladio almost constantly horny and he’d gotten quite acquainted with his right hand in the months since they had progressed from chaste kisses and simple touches to full on make-out sessions that only sometimes ended in grinding together through clothes.

He did everything he could to keep himself in check, endeavoring to reach the point where Ignis had to put a grinding halt on their activities as infrequently as possible so he didn’t feel pressured, but dammit the waiting was actually starting to drive him a little bit insane. His boyfriend was hot, his touch felt amazing and almost every one of Gladio’s nerve endings were screaming at him to get his dick wet like…yesterday. Still, he had to hold on; because when that moment finally came, he wanted it to be perfect.

-

They were laying on the couch in Gladio’s apartment during one of the rare ‘date nights’ they had managed to wrestle from their busy schedules watching some crazy movie on TV that neither of them were really paying attention to and just enjoying each other’s company. Gladio had swiped about half a bottle of cheap whiskey from his father’s liquor cabinet so they could both indulge; not enough to get very drunk, but enough to feel good after a long week.

It was probably a result of the booze, but Ignis was letting him get a bit more handsy than usual and Gladio was never one to waste such a brilliant opportunity. He was spooning Ignis from behind, loving the feeling of the normally reserved man squirming against him as he peppered his neck with soft kisses and teased a bare strip of skin at the hem of his shirt. His boyfriend’s breathy little noises of arousal were coming much more frequently than usually allowed and Gladio’s self-control was quickly taking a nose dive.

His lips pressed firmer onto Ignis’ skin as his hand dared to trail a bit lower, lightly brushing the growing bulge in his trousers. That earned him an actual _moan_ and Gladio completely lost himself in the moment. Without thinking he shifted so he could press the sizable erection he’d been sporting for about an hour against Ignis’ firm backside while grazing the front of his pants with even more intent.

Ignis still wasn’t stopping him.

Gladio knew he should back off before things got too far, but he just couldn’t help it. Ignis felt so good pressed against him and Gladio could think of nothing more than how much he wanted to lay him back and worship every inch of him. It wasn’t until his wandering hand had popped the button on Ignis’ trousers and was starting to slowly ease down the zipper before he finally spoke up.

“Gladio”

His voice was so thick with lust that Gladio didn’t register the warning to slow down until Ignis had repeated himself, this time more firmly, and moved his hand to stop the invader in its tracks. Gladio immediately retracted his hand and moved to put some space between them, ashamed at himself for trying to take such an advantage.

“Shit, sorry Iggy. Got a little carried away.”

“We’ve both been drinking, Gladio.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s just…..It keeps getting harder for me to stop,” Gladio whispered the confession into Ignis’ neck and sealed it with an apologetic kiss.

 “I know,” Ignis turned around to face him and cupped his check gently, staring at him with understanding eyes.

“You….You what?”

“I know how difficult it is to stop. I’m not completely immune to your advances, you know. The past few times I’ve seriously contemplated just letting you have your way,” Ignis followed with a soft kiss to Gladio’s lips that the other man could barely respond to because of the shock that came with his words.

“Iggy,” he began, after a long period of just staring at his boyfriend in silence, “Please tell me that’s not just the booze talking.” Ignis shot him an indignant look and shimmied a little closer so their chests could touch.

“It’s not. I’ve....been thinking about it for a while and I think I’m ready to take that next step with you. In a more appropriate setting, of course.” Ignis shyly turned away from him and a flush appeared on his cheeks that was not from alcohol or their earlier activities. Gladio gently tipped his chin back toward him to give him a fierce kiss that may have been a little too eager, but he couldn’t allow himself to feel bad about.

 Breathing harshly, he released his lips and pressed their foreheads together. “You’re sure? I don’t want you to feel like you have to or anything. I’ve waited this long, and I’ll keep waiting-years even- until the time is right for you.”

“I-I am. You’ve been wonderful, Gladiolus. I really couldn’t have asked for more from you these past few months. I want to reward you for your patience just as much as I honestly desire for us to get even closer. I want you, Gladio, just as much as you seem to want me.”

Gladio absolutely did not have tears pricking at the corners of his eyes as he hugged Ignis close and sloppily kissed every inch of his face that he could reach as Ignis laughed and twined their hands together. Ignis took himself home son after and Gladio laid awake in bed for the rest of night planning on how to make their first time as perfect and special as possible

-

Gladio didn’t breech the subject again, not wanting to seem too desperate or to crowd Ignis until he took back his decision. What he did do was comb their schedules looking for a relatively free weekend and then head straight to his father begging him to use his influence to make so he and Ignis would have the time off. Clarus had looked at him suspiciously, but had accepted his excuse of needing some ‘guy time’ without much fuss.

From there he sat down to write every step of his plan down in detail in a secret journal he kept hidden in his nightstand. First, he’d book reservations at one of Insomnia’s most high-class and talked about restaurants. Ignis had been talking about wanting to try the food there for ages and Gladio knew he’d be ecstatic to get the chance to go.

After dinner he’d walk him down the streets of the city’s richest area, basking in the novelty and glamor until they reached a small café where they’d sit outside sipping coffee and making googly eyes at each other. Then it would start getting late, Ignis would smile at him happily and thank him for a wonderful evening before suggesting they head back.

In that big moment, Gladio would take Ignis’ hand, give him a hopeful, loving, smile, and ask him if he would come back to his apartment. If Ignis turned him down they would have spent a great night together doing what they often didn’t have time for, but if he agreed…..

 They’d rush back to the car. Gladio would drive as fast as he legally could, and they would kiss frantically up to his door. Inside, he’d ask Ignis to wait in the living room for just a second while he secretly lit candles, put on his best romantic playlist and showered the bed in rose petals.

Then he’d emerge from the room, shirtless of course and sporting his best sexy smolder, take Ignis by the hand, and lead him back. Ignis would gasp at the scene, then take Gladio’s head in his hands and kiss him passionately while walking him toward the bed.

After that……well, that part was best saved for when he could be alone in the dark with his hand.

He went to the calendar he kept on the wall and circled the date with a big, red, marker. Then he underlined it, then he drew a tiny heart beside it and stood just looking at it and sighing happily. It was so perfect it even lined up with their eleven month anniversary…..not that he really kept track, or anything like that.

All that was left was to call Ignis and have him save the date.

-

He spent the next few weeks counting down every second to their night.

When it finally came, he woke up in the morning and immediately vomited into the toilet. Then he went for a run over to his local department store where he piled about thirty scented candles, a box of condoms, lube, and a last minute impulse buy of some useless heart shaped throw pillows onto the register, and gave the old woman ringing him up the most innocent smile he could muster.

Next, he stopped by the florist and purchased two dozen red roses, not sure of how many petals it would take to adequately cover the bed and dust along the floor. The jog back home was difficult, but he managed somehow, and he spent the next few hours cleaning and decorating every flat surface of his room with the candles.

Then he spent about another hour meticulously plucking the petals off of every rose except for one that he saved to give Ignis when he picked him up later, earning himself several pricked fingers and way more rose petals than he could possibly need. Oh well, he’d just line the hallway with them or something.  

Afterward he changed the sheets on his bed and remade it with perfect military corners, because he didn’t doubt that Ignis would probably check, and thoughtfully arranged the throw pillows. He made sure to open the lube and get a condom out of the box so there wouldn’t be any heat of the moment fumbling. When he was done he double, and then triple, checked that everything was ready.

Satisfied, he went to his closet and started laying out the outfit he’d picked up a few days before. He hated formal clothing, but Ignis always complemented him on the rare occasion he was forced to dress nicely; so he’d bought a pair of black dress pants that hugged his thighs and ass in all the right places, a deep red button down shirt that the very helpful sales lady had said went perfect with eyes, a black suit coat that actually didn’t feel like it was about to be torn in half whenever he moved his arms, and a thin black necktie.

When he had everything ready he threw himself into the shower, spending a good deal longer than was probably necessary scrubbing his junk and making sure the hair was properly trimmed. Outside of the shower he shaved the stubble off his chin and rehearsed his most important lines over and over in front of the mirror.

After everything was finished he settled for pacing nervously in his living room, racking his brain for anything he could have possibly forgotten, while he waited for the message from Ignis signaling that he was done with work for the day and heading home to get ready.

-

It took about an hour for him to start getting worried, and another half hour after that for him to fire off a quick text to Ignis asking if everything was ok. He got a short response some time later that the meeting had been delayed (because of course it was), and they were going to have to meet up at the restaurant instead of arriving together to save the reservation.

Gladio deflated and flung himself on the couch, cursing in frustration. So much for his big surprise, he’d been so looking forward to seeing the look on Ignis’ face when they arrived at the restaurant Alexandria where most people waited months to get a table. Not to mention the last stages of his plan were now ruined. Bureaucracy, it seemed, would forever be his sworn enemy. A dark side of his mind wondered how much more likely Ignis would be turn him down now that he wouldn’t have to suffer through an awkward ride back to his apartment.

He had to re-type the message with the address three different times to make sure he didn’t sound too disappointed; there was no sense in prematurely killing the mood over something that Ignis couldn’t control. Just because things were getting off to a rocky start didn’t mean that it wouldn’t still go well later on.

Ignis’ delayed reply only said that he would send a message when he was on his way. Gladio did his best not to sulk too hard when he finally rolled himself off the couch to finish getting ready, nervous excitement dampened for the first time all week. After getting dressed he felt marginally better, and he took some time to re-psych himself up in the mirror.

 It was making Ignis happy that really mattered, after all.  That, and the end of the night.

He dabbed on some of the nice cologne his dad gifted him on his last birthday, did one final sweeping check of the apartment, nervously checked his pockets four times to make sure he had his wallet, keys and phone, grabbed the rose, and walked out the door.

-

It turned out the only reason he’d been able to get a table so quickly, even though he’d made the reservation over a month in advance, was because of its pretty terrible placement at the back of the restaurant, far away from the romantic string quartet and uncomfortably close to the kitchens where the wait staff were constantly fluttering in and out.

He’d been sitting alone at the table for about half an hour, slowly sipping from a glass of very expensive Altissian wine when he started hearing whispers from the tables around him about being stood up. He ignored it, for the most part, only slightly worried about the group of girls to his left arguing amongst themselves over which one of them was better suited to offer to join him.

Fifteen minutes later they had just finished drawing straws when a harried looking Ignis finally made his way to the table. He walked over to kiss Gladio on the cheek, murmuring a sincere apology into his ear before taking his seat and looking around in awe.

“I can’t believe you got a table here Gladio,” he said with an astonished smile as a waiter came by to pour him a glass of wine from the bottle chilling on the table, “I know a woman who’s been trying over six months just to get on a waiting list.”   

“Yeah, well, apparently when you namedrop connections to the royal family it gets things done a lot faster than usual,” he winked at Ignis and gave him a devilish smile.

“Normally I’d scold you for abusing your privilege, but I’m afraid in this moment I’m too impressed to care,” he flashed a smirk of his own and took a sip of the wine, uttering a pleased noise at the flavor.

“Sorry about the placement though, I guess even being friends with the King doesn’t guarantee a spot up front with the cool kids,” he hid his embarrassment behind an apologetic smile, though Ignis just waved it off.

“Nonsense. This table is far superior, there’s a near perfect view of the kitchens. You wouldn’t believe some of the equipment they’ve got in there.”

Gladio chuckled as he felt the edges of his vision go a little fuzzy, Ignis’ influence stronger than any wine could ever be. Since he had walked in room he could focus on nothing else but him. His eyes drank in every detail, from the windswept look of his hair to the faint color still high on his cheeks from having undoubtedly rushed to meet him. Gods he even made dishevelment look gorgeous and intentional.

He was wearing an emerald shirt that brought out the color in his brilliant eyes and he’d left the top few buttons open to show off the little skull pendant nestled comfortably in the hollow of his throat. As much as Ignis liked to see him dressed up, Gladio _loved_ to see Ignis dressed down, and he was more than happy that proper man had decided to skip the extra three layers of clothing in favor of a simple black leather jacket, perfectly tailored, of course. He looked….perfect, and without all the extra clothes it would be so much easier to get him naked later….

_‘No. Bad Gladio. Save it for later, you absolutely do not need a boner inside a fancy restaurant while wearing these tight pants.’_

 He didn’t even realize just how long he’d been staring before Ignis was snapping his fingers in front of his face.

“Gladio? Are you alright? You’re looking a bit like I’m about to become your dinner.”

Gladio snorted, snapping out of his daze, ‘ _If you only knew’_

“Yeah, m’fine. It’s just….you look really good tonight, Iggy,” he shook his head and fixed Ignis with a bright smile, placing his hand palm up on the table for Ignis to take.

“As do you,” Ignis replied softly as the flush returned to his face. He tenderly covered Gladio’s hand with his own, giving it a slight squeeze. They sat for a while just staring at each other before a waiter dropped by the table and Ignis started flustering with the realization he hadn’t even looked at the menu.

Thankfully Gladio had done almost nothing but in the forty-five minutes he was waiting and had already chosen a starter he knew Ignis would appreciate to give him time to choose an entrée. After they’d ordered they fell back into comfortable silence once again until Gladio remembered the rose sitting on the table at his side.

With an overly flourished gesture, he held it out for Ignis batting his eyes dramatically, “For you, my flower.”

Ignis laughed good-naturedly at his ridiculous behavior, though his smile had a twinge of regret and his eyes cast downward, “I appreciate the thought Gladio, truly I do, but I’m afraid….I’m allergic….”

Right away, alarm bells started going off in Gladio’s head. He hadn’t even known being allergic to roses was a thing. Had he really been friends with this man for years and not know something as common and important as his allergies? Had he really been dating this man for a year and never once bought him _flowers_? More importantly, what exactly was he supposed to do about the dozens of rose petals scattered across the bed he planned on laying him down on in only a few hours.

Ignis turned his head down sadly as Gladio quickly retracted the rose and stuttered through his mini mental breakdown, “I’m sorry. I seem to be making a mess of all your wonderful surprises.”

“NO,” Gladio insisted, perhaps a little too loud. A few of the people next to them shot questioning looks their way and he started nervously rubbing the back of neck trying to think of what to say. “I mean…it’s not your fault, don’t feel bad.”

He tried to smile reassuringly, but based on the look he got from Ignis he had suspicion that he’d just ended up looking like he really had to fart.

Things were not going as planned, at all. A little voice inside his head that sounded strangely like Cor Leonis was starting to whisper that at this point it might be a good idea to start cutting losses and abort the mission, lest the night end up with Ignis in the hospital due to his fumbling.

Thankfully the food arrived before he could make any more of a fool of himself and every negative feeling was quickly replaced by Ignis’ sheer delight as a small platter of crab stuffed mushrooms was placed in front of them. It was hard to be upset when his boyfriend’s eyes were sparkling so beautifully, so he just set the matter aside for very-near-future Gladio to deal with, he’d make a decision about his plans later.

At least that’s what he thought, until Ignis took a bite of the food and let out an audible moan that nearly had Gladio spitting wine across the table. After that he decided he didn’t really care if he had to find a way to steam clean his entire apartment at some obscene hour of the night, that man was getting in his bed one way or another.

If he agreed, that is.

He cleared his throat and stuffed a mushroom in his mouth to stop himself from drooling and they both continued using the food as a welcome distraction from the awkward exchange with the rose. Neither spoke again until after the mushrooms had been devoured and Gladio asked started asking questions about Ignis’ day that brought them back to friendly conversation until they were both laughing and chatting happily again.

Ignis spent most of the rest of the meal scribbling notes about the food into the little notebook he seemed to carry with him at all times, as Gladio continued alternating between swooning over how unintentionally sexy he was being and freaking out over how he was going to continue his plan. Ignis thankfully didn’t comment when he abandoned the last of his food in favor of pouring himself another half glass of wine and nervously taring the quality linin napkin in his lap to shreds.

Once everything was cleared and the bill had been paid in full by Gladio after a brief, but playful, argument over how to cover the tab, the pair lingered at the table slowly finishing off the last of the wine. Both had something to say to the other, but were unsure of how to begin.

“I….” They started at the same time, both flushing afterward and smiling at each other.

“Go ahead,” Ignis offered.

“No, you.”

“I just wanted to thank you for tonight, Gladio. It was a truly lovely surprise and I appreciate all the thought that went into it,” he flushed again and laid his hand down on the table the same way Gladio had done earlier and his smaller hand was immediately engulfed by a massive one.

This was it.

This was his moment, all he had to do was ask.

He opened his mouth just as Ignis decided to look up at him and flash a smile so sweet and full of adoration Gladio could feel all the words dissolve on his tongue as his brain slowly began to leak out of his ears. He closed his mouth, then opened it again only to shudder out some foreign noise that was halfway between a burp and a hiccup, and felt himself flush up to his ears.

Then Ignis started giggling and Gladio couldn’t help but to follow. It wasn’t long before both of them were in utter hysterics at the table and were drawing the disapproving eyes of at least half the restaurant.

Ignis removed his glasses has they calmed down, and rubbed the lenses on his shirt to clean them, still laughing intermittently, “Oh my, I needed that. Thank you, Gladio.” 

“I’ll be here all weekend,” he said with a wink and a playful grin.

“Unfortunately I have some reports that need catching up on while I’ve the time,” he replaced the glasses back on his nose and looked down at his watch sadly, “Speaking of, I better get going before it gets much later. I was in such a rush earlier I forgot several things in my office and I’d like to retrieve them before the night is out. I don’t want to be anywhere near the Citadel tomorrow where I can get roped into working on my day off, _again_.”

“And reading those reports is what exactly?” Gladio managed to huff out before the real panic set in.

Ignis snorted and gave him a small shrug, “Keeping up with the Joneses.”

The alarm bells were back in his head, sending him into full panic mode. The disembodied voice of Cor was giving him a pep talk as he took a deep breath and calmly sealed his resolve.

_‘Now or Never’_

“Exactly how are urgent are those reports on a scale of one to ten?” he asked, happy that he was able to keep the wobble out of his voice.

“Probably a hard two, but I’ve got little better to occupy my time. Why?” Ignis fixed him with a pointed look that caused him to swallow loudly.

_‘This is it Amicitia, time to nut up or shut up.’_

 “Because I- I was hoping that maybe you might want to come spend the night….with me.”

‘ _Well, you tried’_

Gladio resisted the urge to hide his face in his hands as he watched the emotions on Ignis’ face flick from surprise, to understanding, to deep consideration, to nervous, to something he couldn’t quite make out.

Sirens rang out telling him to abort and he was about to start apologizing and backpedaling when Ignis flashed him another brilliant, shy, smile.  “That sounds like quite a bit better use of my time than reading up on population statistics.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

For a moment Gladio could do nothing as a celebration erupted inside his mind. Fireworks were set off, trumpets were blown, and a mini cartoon version of himself went whooping down a corridor, loudly announcing, “I GET TO HAVE SEX!”

Then he was smiling wide and standing up to lean all the way over the table and kiss him. Ignis laughed against his lips and playfully flicked his ear.

“Save something for the bedroom, dear.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For maximum cheese factor, listen to John Legend's "All of Me" while reading this chapter.

 

Ignis had decided to ride with him on the way back to his apartment, opting to leave his car in the lot until morning. On one hand, Gladio was thankful. Having him there was grounding and kept his thoughts from spiraling too far out of control. On the other hand, it meant he had try and keep an illusion of calm while his heart was threating to beat out of his chest and start tap dancing on the dashboard.

He kept stealing glances over at Ignis in the passenger seat, hoping to see a bit of his nervousness echoed back to him so he wouldn’t feel so awkward, but he remained frustratingly stoic, as always. Now that he was thinking about it, maybe that was actually the Ignis version of being nervous; he hadn’t been so uptight in Gladio’s presence since they’d first started dating. It was probably the Ignis version of a lot of things, actually, but the thought made him feel a little better.

He relaxed his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel and tried to calm himself down a little before they ended up in a head on collision. He also took note that Ignis didn’t comment when he started driving over the speed limit. He really hoped that meant he was just as eager to get back.

 -

They did not kiss franticly on the way to the door. Instead Gladio draped and arm around Ignis’ shoulders and gently lead him inside, placing a kiss to the crown of his head as he asked him to wait while he got set up.

It took much longer than he anticipated to clean up all the rose petals, but he was sure to be incredibly meticulous and snatch up every last one so his boyfriend didn’t end up in the hospital in anaphylactic shock. With nothing better to hold them, he ended up just stuffing all the petals in his bedside drawer to deal with later and rushed off to the bathroom to scrub his hands.

That taken care of, he stuck his phone in the speaker and queued up the playlist he’d spent weeks cultivating, and bustled around the room lighting every single candle. With the room bathed in a nice yellow glow, soft shadows flickering off the walls, he finally unknotted his tie and removed his shirt. That step of the plan, at least, would remain intact.  

He slowly padded back out to the living room to find Ignis lounging on the couch and quickly tapping on his phone. He looked up when Gladio entered the room, a fond smile on his face.

“There you are, I was beginning to think you’d fallen asleep on me,” he teased, setting his phone down and rising to meet Gladio halfway.

“Sorry, I had some things to take care of.”

“The shirt and tie being just a few of the many casualties, I’m sure. I’m honestly surprised they survived the night,” when he was close enough he wrapped his arms around Gladio’s waist and rested his head on his chest.

“I’m full of surprises tonight,” Gladio joked as he wrapped himself tightly around Ignis and swayed them gently.

“I can see that,” the smaller man muttered into his chest, “what would you have done if I’d said no?”

“Spent the weekend sulking and drowning my sorrows in Cup Noodles.”

“I’m sure your kidneys will thank me for sparing them the sodium intake.”

“Iggy, of all the organs that are going to be thanking you tonight, my kidneys are pretty low on the list.”

Ignis let out a carefree laugh he only heard when they were alone and half-heartedly batted at his chest. Gladio separated them so he could tilt Ignis’ chin up and kiss him tenderly before spinning around and shuffling him back toward the bedroom while covering his eyes. Ignis gave a put-upon sigh but let himself be lead until Gladio released him and let him take in the splendor of his grand romantic gesture.

The last thing he expected as a reaction was for Ignis to scrunch his face up in disgust and take a few steps back toward the door.

“Gladio, is there a particular reason why your bedroom smells like the illegitimate love child between a flower shop and a bakery?”

Gladio stopped and took a hearty sniff of the room only to gag as cloying sweetness, mixed with various overpowering floral notes invaded his nostrils. “Okay, so maybe it wasn’t the best idea to buy every single scent recommended on the Moogle search for relaxing romantic smells.”

“-And then light them all _at the same time,_ ” Ignis started laughing again while using a hand to cover his nose and mouth to block out the worst of the smell. “We should probably put some of these out, and maybe crack a window.”

“Y-yeah. Sorry,” Gladio slumped his shoulders and went to crack the window while Ignis blew out most of the candles that weren’t complementing each other at all and a left a few that were. As the room began to air out he could pick out sandalwood, lavender, sage and some sort of berry starting to overpower the disaster from before into something more pleasant.

“Maybe in the future I’ll just leave the romance to you, Iggy. Seems like I’m kind of bad at it,” Gladio flopped down on the bed and covered his face with one of the stupid heart shaped pillows, suppressing a pathetic whine.

“Come now,” Ignis said softy as he sat on the bed and placed a hand on Gladio’s thigh, “It was very romantic, though a bit….overzealous. In other words, very ‘Gladio’ and I’m quite fond of him, it turns out.”

Gladio peeked out from behind the pillow to find Ignis smiling gently down at him again and he didn’t resist when Ignis pulled the pillow away and set it back down on the bed.

“M’ sorry Iggy,” he sighed while sitting up and draping himself artlessly over his boyfriend’s shoulders, pulling him closer. “I just…..wanted it to be perfect for our first time, special, you know?”

“Nothing is ever perfect the first time, love, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t special. It would have been special even if it was only you, me, and the bed. It’s special _because_ it’s the first time, uncharted territory for both of us, and something we’re not likely to ever forget.”

Gladio nuzzled into Ignis’ neck and held him tighter as he felt a hand come up to thread into his hair, stroking softly. They stayed like that for a while, completely wrapped up in each other, when suddenly the music shifted from light and atmospheric piano, to jovial and incredibly loud accordion.

“What the-“Gladio mumbled, lifting his head to better hear the song he absolutely did not remember putting on this list.

_I-I-I-I-I Want to ride my Chocobo all day_

_(Wark! Wark!)_

_Let us out into the sun_

_Where we can run and jump and play_

_I-I-I-I-I- Want to ride my Chocobo all day_

_(Wark! Wark!)_

_That big ol’ tuft of yellow fluff_

_Chases my blues away_

 

“I swear to Shiva the next time I see Prompto he’s going to be running drills on the Citadel steps with ten pound weights strapped to his ankles and me on his back screaming this fucking song in his ear,” Gladio growled.

“Look on the bright side, at least we weren’t actually having sex when it came on. I don’t think I’d ever be able to look at him again.”

They both exchanged a look and dissolved into hysterical laughter again, clutching each other for support. Gladio leaned back and pulled Ignis beside him, still laughing, and they curled into each other, waiting for the song to end.

When it was over, and the music returned again to soft instrumentals, they were laying side by side on the bed panting heavily from laughter, faces so close their noses were touching. Gladio wordlessly reached over and plucked the glasses from Ignis’ face, folding the arms and placing them carefully on the nightstand behind him.

He cupped the side of Ignis’ face and kissed him deeply, pulling him closer until their legs twined together. They kissed until they were forced to come apart to breathe and then dove right back in for more. Gladio hooked an arm around Ignis’ waist and moved it up to rub slow, comforting circles on his back as Ignis tentatively slid a hand up and down his washboard stomach.

“So, where were we before the sudden influx of…romance?” Ignis whispered in a low voice as he trailed little kisses along Gladio’s jaw and up to his ear.

Gladio grinned wolfishly and rolled them over again so he was hovering over Ignis, effectively pinning him to the mattress. “Pretty sure you were about to throw your head back, shut your eyes, and beg me to take you to pound town.”

Ignis fixed him with one of his trademark glares that might have made him flinch away in a different light, though in this setting it just made him lean over and bop him on the nose.

“In no universe would I ever, under any circumstance, utter anything that comes even remotely close to that sentence.”  

His voice was only had a bare hint of annoyance, so Gladio decided to push his luck. “Oh yeah?” he challenged, leaning forward to latch onto Ignis’ sensitive neck and suck lightly at the soft flesh, “I’d like to test that theory sometime.”

Ignis’ eyes slipped shut and his hand tangled again in Gladio’s hair as he moved to gently take an earlobe in between his teeth.

“Mmm, perhaps someday I’ll accept that challenge. For now, however, there’s no rush,” he tugged Gladio’s head back over to his mouth so they could kiss again. The larger man massaged his lower lip with his tongue until he parted them with a low groan to let him inside.

“How is it that you always manage to be overdressed?” Gladio growled as he sat up again to begin popping the buttons of Ignis’ shirt. Slowly, deliberately, as if he were unwrapping a precious gift. This wouldn’t be his first time seeing him without a shirt, they’d been sharing locker rooms for years after all, but this was the first time he’d been given permission to look beyond a cursory glance, and touch without the constant worry of just how much was _too much_.

The weight of what they were about to do suddenly crashed into him full-force as he gazed down at Ignis beneath him. Even with the countless times he’d imagined this very scenario, nothing could have prepared him for the sight of Ignis beneath him, hair rumpled and shirt half open, lips kiss swollen and eyes hooded, wanting, and _real_.

This was happening.

He was the first person ever to see Ignis like this, and if he had any say in it, he would be the _only_ person to ever see it. He surged down again to kiss Ignis again as he released the final buttons of his shirt and let it pool to his sides.

“Gods you’re so gorgeous,” he muttered against his lips as he let his hands roam the expanse of his exposed chest.

“G-Gladio!” the man under him gasped as his fingers brushed over a hardened nipple. He smirked in satisfaction, glad to see that all the extensive ‘research’ he did was actually paying off.  He moved his mouth back down his chest, leaving a trail of kisses as he went, before attaching his mouth to the other nipple and flicking his tongue over it.

Ignis let out a needy little whimper and Gladio could feel just how excited he was getting from his position straddled over his lap. He shifted his hips experimentally and succeeded in barely brushing their clothed cocks together, causing both of them to let out soft moans.

Planting his arms on either side of Ignis’ head, he built a rhythm that let them slowly brush against each other, just enough to tease at the friction they both desperately wanted. This was as far as they’d ever gotten before, Gladio thought offhandedly before trailing a hand from the middle of Ignis’ chest down to the waistband of his trousers.

He ran his thumb over the surface of the button and licked his lips, trying to find his voice again, “Iggy, can I-”

Ignis’ breathy whisper interrupted him before he could finish, “Yes, Gladio. Go ahead.”

With a hard swallow, his suddenly overly large fingers fumbled to unfasten the button and pull down the zipper, intentionally brushing his hand against the prominent bulge he found there and pulling a groan from the man beneath him. He sat back, took a deep breath, and with a series of soft tugs pulled the trousers down to expose a pair of lean, pale, legs.

Unable to help himself any longer, his lets his hand slide across the front of Ignis’ underwear to grope at the hardened length underneath. He hears a sharp hiss, as if the touch were somehow unexpected, and feels Ignis thrust his hips up involuntarily into his grip.

Gladio gently pushed him back down onto the bed and ran his hands up and down his toned thighs to try and soothe him, “Still good, Iggy?”

“Gladio I-“

Right away he halted all movement and felt his heart start pounding with anxiety. He would stop if Ignis asked him- of course he would, but to have come so close only to be dragged away right at the finish line would be torture.

Sensing his distress, Ignis quickly sat up to wrap his arms around Gladio’s shoulders and bring him back down. “I wasn’t going to ask you to stop,” he whispered, stroking his muscular back, “I just thought that things were getting a little one-sided. I’d like to-“  instead of finishing his sentence he trailed one of his hands down to the front of Gladio’s now impossibly tight slacks and let it rest there as a question.

“Hell yeah,” was the gruff response as the larger man flipped them so Ignis could take control for a while.

In a move that was surprisingly forward, Ignis deftly managed to wrestle Gladio’s cock from its cloth imprisonment. He studied it for a moment, as if trying to figure out how exactly it was supposed to _fit_ before he remembered himself and wrapped his elegant fingers around the base, stroking slowly from root to tip.

“Fuuuck,” Gladio groaned out.

He half expected Ignis to scold him for his language, but instead a mischievous glint flashed in his eyes and he gripped the cock in his hand a little harder, “Yes, that is the intention, isn’t it?”

“W-who’s this little minx and what did he do with my sweet and shy boyfriend,” he grumbled out through gritted teeth as Ignis continued stroking him.

“You should know better than anyone, Gladio, that the only reason I’m ever sweet is to get what I want. And right now, I want you to stop talking.” He punctuated this by dragging his thumb over Gladio’s slit and making him grip the sheets roughly.

Damn. Why did they wait to do this again?

He let Ignis keep going until he felt a familiar heat starting to pool in his stomach. If this kept going, nice as it was, it would be it. He moved his hand on top of Ignis’ slender one to slow his movements down to a complete stop. He sat up against the headboard and pulled Ignis on top of his chest, sweetly stroking the hair away from his eyes and kissing the crown of his head again.

“Iggy, not that I’m complaining, exactly, but you’re about to make me lose it,” he chuckled as Ignis’ response was to gently nip at his collarbone, “I’m happy to keep going like this, but first I wanted to see if you still wanted to….you know.”

The smaller man went quiet and still in his arms for a few moments before whispering, “Yes,” into his chest so softly he almost didn’t hear it.

He coaxed his head up and looked deeply into his eyes, searching for signs of hesitation, “You’re sure?”

This time Gladio’s answer was a fierce kiss as Ignis took both his hands and slid them down to his slim hips. Taking an invitation for what it was, he brought his massive hands around to cup and squeeze at Ignis’ ass cheeks as they pressed closer to each other.

With a growl he flipped Ignis onto his back again and didn’t waste any time climbing down his body to nuzzle against his crouch. He hissed again, but didn’t seem to be in any actual discomfort, so Gladio hooked his thumbs under the waistband of his underwear and lowered them until Ignis’ cock sprang free.

He pulled them the rest of the way off and sat back for a moment to admire Ignis’ dick. It was long, a little longer than he was actually, with a good amount of thickness that didn’t quite transgress into ‘fat’. He was a little sad that Ignis had stopped him before he was able to give it more devoted attention. Next time, for sure.

Gladio slid out of the bed just long enough to grab the supplies on the nightstand and wiggle the rest of the way out of his own pants and underwear. In no time at all he was back between Ignis’ legs coaxing him spread his legs wider and bend his knees. He grabbed up one of the useless heart pillows and used to help support Ignis’ lower back while he pulled his ass closer, spreading his cheeks and running an unlubricated fingertip against his fluttering entrance just to get him used to the sensation of something being down there.

Ignis threw an arm over his eyes and let out a heady moan that had Gladio’s cock pulsing.

“I’m going to start with my fingers, okay Iggy?” he coaxed as he uncapped the lube and spread a generous amount of the slippery liquid over his finger. He saw Ignis move his head in acknowledgement, but he didn’t say anything or move the arm covering his face.

He took a steadying breath, again caught off guard with the weight of what he was about to do, and pressed the slickened tip of his finger against the quivering hole.  This time Ignis hissed and flinched away at the sensation. Gladio didn’t have to ask what was wrong before he whispered simply, “Cold.”

“Shit, sorry,” he rubbed his fingers together to warm the liquid more before trying again. “Good?”

Ignis hummed an affirmative. Gladio pressed a little more insistently until he could feel the tip of his finger breaching past the ring of muscle and into the warm cavern beyond. Still no negative signals from Ignis so he pressed a little deeper, down to his second knuckle. He was in deep enough now to start moving his finger around to spread the lube and coax his walls to expand.

“How you doing Iggy?” He called out after going a while hearing nothing from his partner but his uneven breathing.

“F-Fine,” his voice was shaky and he sounded a bit unsure.

“Feel okay?”

“It’s…..strange, but not painful.”

“Good strange or bad strange?”

“Good, I think.”

“Do you want me to stop?”

“No, keep going.”

Given the go ahead, Gladio pushed his finger in as far as it would go. Ignis made a soft noise, but it didn’t seem to be out of pain or discomfort. He wiggled his finger around a little more before he started gently thrusting it in and out until he could feel him starting to stretch open.

“I’m going to add another finger now.”

He pulled the first one out, squirted more lube onto his two forefingers, warmed it and then slowly pressed them both inside Ignis, who was starting to get a little louder. Gladio scissored and wiggled his fingers until they were thrusting easily in him. He hooked them around, blindly searching for the spot that would-

Ignis suddenly arched off the bed, uttering the loudest sound Gladio had ever heard him make.

‘ _Found it,’_ Gladio thought with a proud smirk, research having again paid off.

He kept stretching him, adding another finger just to be sure, until Ignis was positively writhing beneath him, untouched cock dribbling pre-cum onto his stomach. When all three fingers could slide into him easily he pulled them out, wiping the excess lube on the edge of the sheets.

He took another deep breath and tore open the condom packet, and rolled it on like he’d been shown at the extremely awkward sex seminar held by his dad that he’d been forced to attend along with the other young members of the Crownsguard.

He looked up at Ignis to find him peeking over at him, looking just about as nervous as Gladio felt for once. He leaned over him and took his face in his hands so he could kiss him sweetly as he teased his entrance with the tip of his cock.

“Are you ready?”

“Yeah.”

They kissed one more time before Gladio retreated back down between Ignis’ legs so he could cover himself in lube and line up. This was it. Gladio was about to honestly and truly have the first experience that would match his reputation. He only hoped he could live up to the hype.

Very slowly he began to press forward. Immediately he could feel Ignis’ walls starting to swallow him up, and the heat of actually being _inside_ another person was more incredible than he could have ever guessed, even when he was using his fingers.

They both moaned loudly as pressed in further. Gladio was in pure ecstasy, so eager for more pressure, more heat, more friction, and it took him longer than it should have to realize that his partner wasn’t actually moaning in pleasure. He was about halfway in when he opened his eyes and looked down to see Ignis’ features contorted in agony. A few tears leaked out of the corners of his eyes and his cock was no longer standing at full attention.

“Shit! Iggy I- Should I stop? I can pull out-“

“No, Gladio. Please, just don’t move for a while so I can…adjust,” His voice sounded so strained Gladio wanted nothing more than to lean over and kiss him, but doing so would only probably hurt him more.

So now he was floundering with his dick halfway in his crying boyfriend’s ass, thinking that this was probably one of his worst ideas _ever_ and not having a clue about how to fix it.

He should just pull out. He would pull out and hold him and then they could cuddle and go to sleep like they had never tried this stupid idea in the first place and just go back to kissing and being happy like before Gladio had ruined _everything_ with his dick and…..

“-adio”

“Hmmm?”

“Gladio, you can keep going now,”

In the time since his thoughts had started spiraling he hadn’t noticed Ignis’ breathing start to level out or that his face had started to soften again.

“But….doesn’t it hurt?”

“Yes, but I knew it would, at least at first.”

“You…..you wanted to do this even though you expected it to hurt like this.”

“ _Yes_ Gladio, it isn’t supposed to stay that way for long. Now please, keep going.”

It took a little while before he could follow Ignis’ instructions. He wasn’t as hard as he’d been at the start and it was difficult for him to keep going knowing that it was hurting his partner so badly. When he didn’t move, Ignis actually started clenching around Gladio’s dick.

“Fuck Iggy, that feels good.”

“Yes, it does. It would feel better if you were further in.”

“Ok, I get it.”

Even slower than before, Gladio started to press forward again, taking careful inventory of every expression that crossed Ignis’ face. When it looked like it was becoming too much, he would back off a little and start to lovingly stroke his cock and every other inch of skin that was within reach.

When he was finally fully seated he leaned over and claimed his kiss, softly wiping away the moisture around his eyes and giving Ignis all the time he needed to adjust to him as he peppered his neck with kisses and sucked at the skin around his collarbones.

When Ignis shifted his hips experimentally, it was like an electric jolt.

He accidently bit a little too harder than intended and Ignis let out a surprised, “Oh!”

Curious, Gladio slowly rocked his hips back and forth and they both moaned again in tandem. This time, they were both moans of pleasure. Gladio sat up a little so he could brace himself on his massive forearms as he started building a careful rhythm with his hips.

Ignis started making the most wonderful breathless little gasps to punctuate every thrust and Gladio found himself starting to get lost again to the amazing feeling that was being joined intimately with another person and his thrusts unconsciously started to pick up speed.

“You ok Iggy?” he asked again, brushing back the hair from his now sweat slick forehead so he could look into his eyes.

“Gladio...yes. You can…go a little faster” Ignis managed to stammer out between thrusts.

He didn’t need to be told twice, he sat up properly gripping Ignis’ hips and the smaller man wrapped his legs around his waist. They knew each other so well at that point that they moved together fluidly and wordlessly. Ignis trusted him not to hurt him, and he trusted Ignis to let him know if anything became too much.

The epiphany of why exactly Ignis had wanted to wait to do this hit him just as he finally angled his thrusts correctly to be able to brush his prostate, and the beautiful noise he made almost had Gladio in tears just knowing that _he_ had been the cause of it.

After that their moans got louder, and the thrusts became erratic. Somewhere in his jumbled consciousness he remembered that Ignis had a dick too, and he wrapped a hand around it to jerk in time with the movement of his hips and Ignis _shattered_ beneath him. With a guttural, full body groan, the tip of his cock erupted in sticky white fluid as the rest of him started to convulse with the force of his orgasm.

Gladio wasn’t far behind and with a few more thrusts and the cry of Ignis’ name, he spent himself into the condom.

Neither of them could move immediately after. Gladio collapsed in a heap on top of Ignis, who just threaded his hands in his hair once again and started stroking his scalp. He falls asleep for a few minutes only to be awoken by a soft hand stroking his cheek.

‘”We need to clean up” a warm, familiar voice says and he’s able to cut through his haze long enough to pull himself gently out of his lover’s body and see to it that the mess they’ve made is taken care of.

 

He’s almost completely back to his senses when he lies down on his back and feels Ignis curl against his side and pillow his head on his expansive chest. They don’t say anything for a long time, content to just stay together in the comfortable afterglow until their brains start functioning properly again. Its Gladio breaks the silence first.

“So…that just happened right? I’m not going to wake up tomorrow with my hand down my boxer shorts and find out that it was all a dream….again?”

Ignis snorted and Gladio felt him smiling against his skin, “Yes, it did happen. Though I wouldn’t put it past you to wake up with your hand down your shorts anyhow.”

Gladio chuckled and kissed Ignis’ forehead, “You’re amazing, you know that? I finally understand why good friends bake each other those ‘congrats on the sex’ cakes because, fuck….wow. Hey -”

“Gladiolus Amicitia, if you value our relationship at all you will not finish that sentence.”  

“Now _you_ have to bake one and give it to me, and I’ll feed some to you. We’ve got to Ignis, it’s tradition”

“That logic is entirely circular and nonsensical. If I wanted a cake, I would bake a cake for myself. If _you_ want a cake all you have to do is ask nicely without all this ‘tradition’ nonsense. However, by no means am I writing ‘congratulations on the sex’ on it. What a waste of icing.”

“How about making it shaped like a cock?”

Ignis groaned and buried his head into Gladio’s side, “Honestly, of all the juvenile things….remind me why I love you again?”

Gladio’s laugh froze in his throat and he looked down at Ignis in shock, “Uh, Iggy, please tell me that wasn’t just the endorphins talking.”

Ignis swallowed, flush high on his cheeks as he continued trying to bury himself against Gladio’s massive frame, “No, it wasn’t”

Gladio scooped him up and held him tight, flashing his ten thousand watt smile, “I’m glad. Because Iggy, I love you more than Cup Noodles, and I’ve been bursting to say it for such a long time.”

Out of the mouth of anyone but Gladiolus Amicitia, it would have been an utterly ridiculous statement, but Ignis, as usual, was completely powerless against that earnest smile and soft honey-amber gaze.

“You,” Ignis began, poking Gladio in the shoulder and punctuating with a kiss, “are going to be the ruin of me.”

“At least you’ll die young and beautiful.”

“Poetic coming from the hopeless romantic who just compared to dehydrated ramen.”  

“But I’m _your_ hopeless romantic”

“Yes, you are.”  

They hugged and kissed again as a familiar accordion tune kicked up once again in the background.

 

_I-I-I-I-I Want to ride my Chocobo all day_

_(Wark! Wark!)_

 

A speaker was ripped from the wall, followed by laughter.


End file.
